


Sabatoge!

by FrozenHearts



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dancing, Friendship, Gen, Jaylah is a badass, Jaylah joins Starfleet, Male-Female Friendship, Mentioned Frank, Mentioned Nyota Uhura, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Post- Star Trek: Beyond, Post-Canon, Tarsus IV, mentions of Tarsus IV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHearts/pseuds/FrozenHearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim hears the Beastie Boys blasting from the engineering department.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sabatoge!

**Author's Note:**

> I saw Star Trek: Beyond and Jaylah was an absolute gift to the Nu!Trek universe, and I'm pretty sure Scotty adopted her and now lets her blast her music whenever she wants (and Jim sometimes lets her sit in the captain's chair)

Jim grinned when he heard the song coming from Scotty's work space, knowing that only one person could have persuaded the Scotts-man to play the music so loud. Sometimes, when it was late at night and people were milling about, Jim could see crewmen and women gravitating towards the hull as the music played over the intercom, and he'd peek his head in to see an impromptu dance party in full swing.

He never joined in, content with watching from the door for a few minutes before retiring to his quarters.

Hearing the song again, Jim chuckled to himself; he remembered seeing Nyota trying to teach Spock a few dance moves before giving up and swaying along with him. Hikaru and Chekov were doing who knew what (he was pretty certain the kid had been drunk, after Bones had unearthed that delightful whiskey on his birthday), and Scotty and Jaylah were only too happy to try and drunkenly serenade the doctor from time to time, which was fairly amusing to watch until he threatened to stick them with hypos and shut the party down.

The beat pounded against his rib cage along with his heart as he neared the hull, the guitar twanging in time with his step. Instead of the usual mini-party he was expecting, however, he rounded the corner and walked through the door frame to find Jaylah by herself, bopping her head and using a wrench to sing along to the lyrics.

"James T!" Jaylah suddenly shouted, her big grin catching him off guard. The wrench was thrown down with a loud clang and Jim was startled as Jaylah grabbed his hand and started tugging him around the hull; Jaylah tossed her head every which way, her white hair fanning out like a halo as she moved. Jim struggled to keep up, not wanting to step on anything she had been working on.

"Jaylah, I don't think I have time to dance, really-" Jim started.

"Everyone dances, James T!" Jaylah shot back, lifting an arm, "Spin!"

He complied, spinning under her outstretched arm, her fingers clutching his as if hanging on for dear life. Dizziness made his vision swim slightly, and Jim plopped down next to a generator (when had that gotten there? Was it always there?), Jaylah laughing next to him.

"Do you fix things, James T?" Jaylash asked as their laughter petered out to heavy breathing, "Is that why you're here?"

Jim shrugged. Jaylah's English was getting better, he noticed, "I come whenever. I have a tendency to destroy rather than fix."

The Beastie Boys were loud in his ears, rattling against his skull and for some reason he wanted to scream along with the lyrics, to pick up Jaylah's make-shift microphone and belt into it like there was no tomorrow. The tool lay a good foot away from them, near the toe of Jaylah's black boots. Jaylah looked down, picking at the red Starfleet dress she was issued to wear.

"I do not like this uniform, James T," she said, "I liked my old clothes."

Jim sighed, "Yeah, well, get used to it, kid. I don't really like the captain's uniform all that much either, though."

Jaylah pouted, "How so?"

"Well," James cuckled, "for one thing, I keep getting my shirts ripped." He remembered the last incident it happened; before the Enterprise had crash-landed on the planet Jaylah had been stranded on, the diplomatic meeting to promote peace between the Federation and that odd alien species- the small, bulldog-like creatures that really weren't bulldogs and could really pack a punch or bite if they wanted to- had gone awry and he ended up being attacked by their council before Scotty could beam him up.

Not exactly a fun time, if Jim was being honest.

"Why are the women not given pants to wear?" Jaylah said, "Lieutenant Nyota was talking about it to me the other day. Said the dresses were impractical and not safe."

Jim nodded. That actually was kind of true, now that he was thinking about it. Back at the Academy, it was fine as a uniform, but the skirt half was a little on the short side. Even now, Jaylah was trying her best to sit comfortably, her bare legs probably cold from the draft in the hull. He made a mental note to bring it up with Pike, see if he could get the women in Engineering and Security better options considering how dangerous the work was for them already. On away missions too, Uhura would probably appreciate it if they were to ever beam down on Delta Vega or an equally cold planet.

"I'll bring that up with Starfleet next time I see them," Jim promised.

The song had ended now, leaving the two in silence, save for the creaks and groans of the ship. Jim shivered as the engine hummed and the lights blinked at him. It really was cold in here. Jim jutted his chin at Jaylah's radio, "Didn't know you liked classical music."

Jaylah rested her head on his shoulder, "It was the only way i could learn English in my home besides the... uh-"

"Holo-vids?" Jim suggested.

"Yes, those," Jaylah said, "besides, I like the beats and the shouting."

Jim sighed. He did too. Obviously, Jaylah didn't know it, but that song was the same song he drove off a cliff to. It was the same song he screamed along to as he jumped out of the vintage Corvette moments before it was smashed to pieces at the bottom of a chasm. It was likely, given Jaylah's situation that they found her in (by herself, no family left) that the Beastie Boys were her only companions for the longest time until Scotty showed up.

Jim pushed the memories that had started to creep forward way. The brief flash of a barren wasteland. Small children stick-thin and basically dead. That song got him through everything, and it got him through Frank and his mom being away. it got Jaylah through similar things, and it got them both through the attack Krall had made against the Federation in Yorktown.

"James T?" Jaylah broke through his thoughts, "What is making you cry?"

He was crying? Shit. Jim wiped away the tears hastily, grinning his best megawatt smile at her, "It's nothing, Jaylah. Sorry for ruining your fun."

Jaylah's head grew heavy on his shoulder, "I am sorry, James T. Should I go and fix some more things then? Montgomery Scotty said something about a flickering light bulb in the mess hall."

Jim raised an eyebrow, "Did he tell you to go fix it?"

"Yes, but I am ignoring him and listening to my music instead."

Jim nodded, wrapping an arm around here in an awkward, one-armed hug, "That's my girl! See? You're fitting in already."

"I am not your 'girl', James T," Jaylah reminded him.

"It's just an expression, Jay," Jim said. Jaylah paused, her brow furrowed as she contemplated the thought before nodding and picking herself up, grabbing the wrench on her way. Jim kept sitting. He didn't really want to do anything right now. She went to the bulky radio and pressed a few buttons and the hull was soon filled with the shouts and beats provided by the Beastie Boys.

Jim bit his lip as Jaylah held out a hand, "What's this for?"

"Come on, James T," Jaylah said, "let's spin!"

JIm found himself beaming as Jaylah tugged him to his feet, taking the lead as the Beastie Boys blasted from the radio. It must have been the only song Jaylah had on the tape that was playing, but he didn't really mind. It was a good choice. Jaylah lifted her hand and Jim spun under her arm again, and promptly grabbed a second wrench (some were always nearby anyway) and pretended to sing along with the song.

Jaylah's hair was as wild as before, and soon the two were headbanging as hard as possible once the shouting started. His head may have hurt after a while, but hanging out with Jaylah was infinitely better than acting as captain at the moment.

Neither of them noticed Scotty standing there until they heard the clapping.

"Scotty!" Jim felt himself blush, letting his arm drop. He knew he probably looked like a mess too, with dried tears tracking down his cheeks, his face red and ruddy. Jaylah either didn't realize or she knew Scotty was there but chose to ignore him because she kept jumping around, already starting in on the wild guitar solo provided by the song.

"Well, I see we aren't fixing this like I said to earlier," Scotty smirked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. Keenser was hiding behind his legs, peeking out with those weirdly blank black eyes of his.

"Montgomery Scotty!" Jaylah baked out the name, "Come spin with us!"

Jim shared a glance with Scotty, giving him a sheepish grimace, but instead of rolling his eyes and walking away, the engineer threw up his hands and jumped right in, his red hair flopping around like a fish out of water. Keenser was hobbling around, waddling in time with drop of the beats.

That was probably the first of many of the engineering parties Jim had gone to, and soon he found himself every afternoon spinning around with Jaylah to the Beastie Boys when he was avoiding Spock and his duties as captain of the Enterprise and she just didn't want to listen to Scotty.

It was a good choice.

**Author's Note:**

> I really like the idea of Jaylah still giving everyone nicknames even after her English got better (also she hates the uniforms just as much as Uhura)


End file.
